Linda Richter Brady is Executive Director of Kansas City Youth Jazz. She is a music educator and earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Music from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas in 1978, and earned a diploma in Band Instrument Repair from Western Iowa Tech School, Sioux City, Iowa in 1980. Mrs. Brady helps to develop and maintain Youth Jazz programs and works on fund development and grant writing.
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Jill Atherton, woodwinds, earned her Bachelor of Music
performance degree from Washburn University and her Master of Music
Performance degree from Wichita State University. She has performed
with the Kansas City Symphony, the Boulevard Big Band and Half Mad
Poet. She is currently a member of the River City Jazz Orchestra
and DescargaKC. Ms. Atherton is the clarinet and saxophone
instructor at Ottawa University.
Jason
Goudeau, trombone, is a native
of Houston, Texas, where he attended the highly acclaimed High
School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He studied jazz under
the direction of Dr. Robert Morgan and performed with Frank Rehak,
Kirk Whalum, Bobby Shew, Billy Cobham, Marvin Stamm and Sebastian
Whitaker. He was awarded the first “George Salisbury Memorial
Scholarship” given at UMKC in 1985 and earned his Bachelor of
Music in music performance degree from UMKC in 1989. He has
performed with many local musicians and enjoys serving the music
department at his church.
Adam
Kabak, bass, is a student at
UMKC, majoring in Music Education. Adam is a former member of the
KC Youth Jazz Band Program and performs with the KC Young Bloods
Jazz Combo, the UMKC Jazz Ensemble and the Oak Street Quartet. Adam
helps with rhythm sectionals and teaches bass students.
Steve
Miller, piano, is originally
from New York City, and attended Music and Art High School, now
called the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. He received a
scholarship from the Julliard School of Music, where he earned his
Bachelor’s Degree. While in New York he played with the Dean
Dixon Orchestra and studied with Teddy Wilson. He was a member of
the Kansas City Philharmonic for eight years and received his
Master’s Degree in Music and Education from UMKC. Steve now
leads the popular Steve Miller KC Band and enjoys teaching
piano.
Bob
Ousley, tenor, alto and soprano
saxophone, clarinet and flute, has played with bands such as Tex
Beneke, Henry Mancini and Jack Teagarden. He has played behind many
of the biggest stars in the entertainment business – Mel
Torme, John Denver, Diahann Carroll, Wayne Newton and Glen Campbell
to name a few. Along with playing musical stage productions, he has
played for a number of radio and television commercials as well as
being featured with the Kansas City Symphony. Mr Ousley, now
retired from KC Youth Jazz, was instrumental in the development of
the Youth Jazz program.
Greg
Richter, piano and keyboards.
Greg lived for 13 years on St. Croix performing regularly with
Jimmy Hamilton. He has performed with such diverse talents such as:
Cab Calloway, Little Anthony, The Shirelles, Gary Burton, James
Cotton, Boots Randolph, Frank Foster, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has
served as pianist and music director for The Wiz, Camelot, and
Gypsy. After working for 3 years at the Grand Hotel Resort,
Mackinaw Island, Michigan, Greg returned to Kansas City in 1997.
Greg has also produced and performed on recordings including
“Old Friends-New Point with Bobby Watson and on “Track
13” with Megan Birdsall. He now performs at many of the top
jazz venues throughout the Midwest.
Clarence
Smith is an instructor of music
at MCC Penn Valley where he directs a jazz combo, jazz ensemble,
percussion, Music Appreciation and Jazz History. He holds
degrees from Central Methodist University and Lesley
University. Prior to his appointment at MCC, Smith taught
band in the Marshall, Missouri public schools and at Paseo Academy
of Fine and Performing Arts High School in Kansas City. His
Paseo bands earned countless I ratings and won many regional and
national jazz competitions. In 2000, he was named
‘High School Educator of the Year” by Downbeat Magazine
and was selected as a Music Fellow at Northwestern
University’s School of Music in 2003. Smith has performed
throughout much of the U.S. and Canada and is currently performs
with the Kansas City Wind Symphony, The Joe Athon Groups and
singer-songwriter, Toni Gates. He currently serves as the Chairman
of Multicultural Awareness for Missouri Music Educators. His
professional affiliations include IAJE, MENC, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi
Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Ron
Stinson, a native of Topeka,
Kansas, graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of
Music Education degree. After graduation, Ron spent four years in
the U.S. Air Force as Solo Cornet and Lead Trumpet of the NORAD
combined forces band stationed in Colorado Springs, CO. Upon
completion of the military obligation, Ron attended Yale University
where he earned the Master of Music in Trumpet Performance degree.
The next several years were spent performing in New York City as a
free lance musician. Broadway shows include, The Pirates of
Penzance with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt, Singing in the Rain,
Miss Saigon, Les Misarables, and Phantom of the Opera. Ron also
performed with many jazz groups as well as TV, radio, and motion
picture recording. While performing in New York, Ron was also on
the faculty of Western Connecticut State University. Re-locating
back to Kansas, Ron is currently Professor of Music at Johnson
County Community College where he conducts the Music Masters
Concert Band, the Midnight Express Jazz Ensemble, the Midnight
Blues Jazz Choir, and teaches jazz
improvisation.